Peak 5835 (Gottlieb Peak)

Overview

This is a limestone peak, sometimes called Gottlieb Peak, located in the Spring Mountains along the ridge that leads to La Madre Mountain from Summerlin Peak. It is an interesting combination of desert crossing leading to a large wash that can be climbed with class 2 – 3 bouldering up to a saddle where you can hike up the final 800’ of elevation to the summit. The hike/climb is about 3.6 miles in each direction and took me about 2 ½ hours up and 1 ½ hours on the return. The elevation gain for the climb is about 2,580'.

Getting There

The best approach is from the western end of the Summerlin Parkway after you cross the 215 beltway. You can go about a block before the pavement ends and access is prohibited. Park your vehicle here and head across the desert on foot for a couple of miles as indicated on the route description. This is a fairly nice section of desert which can be crossed without much trouble At this time (2010) this land is owned by Howard Hughes Corporation which does not allow vehicle tresspass. I am not aware of any attempts to prevent travel on foot, but to access the peak without crossing private property, one would have to follow the ridgeline. This could be done from the vicinity of Cheyenne Blvd, west of the 215 Beltway or from Red Rock NCR with much greater effort. There are survey markings along the base of the ridge as you travel across the desert toward the main wash described in the route.

Red Tape

There is no requirement for a permit to visit this peak, but it is rumored that stiff fines may be imposed if you try to cross this part of the desert in your vehicle. There are numerous signs of old roads winding through here, but they appear to follow the terrain and are not much use in getting from point A to point B.

Camping

There is a campground located south of SR159 two miles east of the entrance to RRCNCA. This can be reached from the described trailhead by taking the 215 beltway south to Charleston Blvd exit and going west about 3-4 miles to a signed turnoff on your left. There is no developed campground within Red Rock NCA, although backcountry camping with a permit is allowed.

Route Description

You should note your start with GPS (N36.19220, W115.34676) because it can lead to some wandering around on your return otherwise. Head toward the drainage shown on the route description photo for about 2 miles across the desert. There are numerous washes that you will cross along the way on this rolling gradual ascent of about 700’ net gain.

From the mouth of the drainage follow the main wash up to the saddle which is 1 mile away gaining another 1,180’ in elevation. I generally stayed slightly to the left heading up which avoided any need to climb anything worse than class 3.

When you reach the top of the saddle, turn left and follow the ridgeline toward the summit for another .6 mile gaining the final 800’ of elevation. The summit has a railroad spike driven into it as well as the remains of what appears to be survey items.

When to Climb

Spring and Fall are the peak seasons as it becomes extremely hot in the summer. Winter can be an excellent time as well unless snow and ice accumulate from winter storms making the scrambling too hazardous. This is most likely to occur in January and February.

Images

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